BC poses fresh challenge for Hockey Cats

Eagles have improved since early matchups against Vermont

Mar. 17, 2010

Jonathan Higgins (right) and Vermont took two of three regular-season matchups with Cam Atkinson and Boston College, the team the Catamounts play in Friday’s Hockey East semifinals at the TD Garden in Boston. / GLENN RUSSELL, Free Press file photo

College sports blog

One of the accomplishments for this year’s roller-coaster University of Vermont men’s hockey team was winning its regular-season series with Boston College. UVM won two of the three games, the first time that’s happened since the Catamounts joined Hockey East.

Friday night, when the Eagles and the Catamounts engage for their HE semifinal at the TD Garden, those three games barely matter, and not only because of the cliche that it’s a new season at tournament time.

Realistically, the regular-season series with BC has far fewer implications for UVM than did the Catamounts’ meeting with New Hampshire only a couple of weekends before they met in the quarterfinals. Neither Vermont nor UNH changed much in the intervening time and the Catamounts’ conviction they could play with — and beat — the Wildcats was still fresh.

The same isn’t true for UVM (17-13-7) vs. BC (23-10-3). They first played Oct. 18 at Gutterson Fieldhouse, Vermont winning 4-1. The series resumed at Boston College on Nov. 14 and 15, the Eagles winning the first game 7-1 and the Catamounts rebounding with a 3-2 decision the next afternoon.

“We can’t use those games at all,” said UVM coach Kevin Sneddon. “I remember playing them and having a little bit of success, but I remember saying how good they were going to become with those freshman defensemen.

“All they needed was experience in big games and they’ve obtained that. Their youth is not hurting them in any way,” Sneddon said. “You can throw those games out. We can’t look at those films. We’ll have to use more recent games.”

For the games against UVM, BC coach Jerry York employed senior Carl Sneep on defense along with two sophomores and three freshmen. Except for Sneep, none was experienced, but the three freshmen, one sophomore and Sneep were all NHL draftees. The talent was obvious; so was the lack of experience.

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“They have experience now on the blue line versus inexperience at the beginning of the season. They’re very solid and they make very few mistakes,” said Sneddon, who conceded the regular-series win against BC could provide some confidence for his Catamounts.

York has the advantage when it comes to using those regular-season games for motivation: He can remind the Eagles of what happened.

“We had a battle with Vermont this year. They’re a team that’s beaten us two out of three and we’re certainly aware of that,” York said.

With veteran coaches and a minimum of three meetings per year, the teams know each other’s general tendencies well. For both, it’s not so much about the other team but more about each team playing its game, trying to impose its will on the game.

Still, the eighth-seeded Catamounts know the No.¤2-ranked BC team they play Friday bears resemblance to the early season Eagles in name only.